20Constance Wu is one of the most popular Asian-American actresses in the country. Her roles in Fresh Off The Boat and Crazy Rich Asians had launched her into stardom and made her a nice pile of money, not to mention a place on Time 100 list of the most influential people in the world.
Constance Wu Childhood
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Constance Wu was born on March 22nd, 1982, in Richmond, Virginia. Her parents were Taiwan emigrants. Dr. Fang-Sheng Wu, a biology and genetics professor at Virginia Commonwealth University, is her father. Her mother is a coder. Constance is the third of four daughters. The family comes from a poor background. Constance’s grandparents were bamboo farmers and were illiterate.
Education
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Wu’s first contact with acting came while she was attending Douglas S. Freeman High School, in Henrico County. She performed in a local theater and she attended Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute for six months. After graduating high school, she enrolled at the State University of New York.
She went to Purchase’s Conservatory of Theatre Arts and got her Bachelor of Fine Arts in acting in 2005. For a while, Constance wanted to pursue a career in speech pathology, so she studied psycholinguistics at Columbia University. Eventually, she gave up and moved to Los Angeles to start acting.
Early Career
Upon arriving in California in 2010, Constance was cast Sound of My Voice, directed by Brit Marling. The show that put her on the radar was web series EastSiders. It was critically acclaimed and she received praise for her role as Kathy. She remained with the show until 2017, even after she became popular. She also appeared in Covert Affairs, Franklin & Bash, and Children’s Hospital.
Fresh Off the Boat
Wu’s role in Fresh Off the Boat was her major breakthrough. She played Jessica Huang, a leading female role, alongside Randall Park. Loosely based on the book Fresh Off the Boat: A Memoir by Eddie Huang, a chef and a TV personality, the series won both critical and popular acclaim.
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In total, Wu got four nominations for The Critics’ Choice Television Award for Best Actress in a Comedy Series and two Television Critics Association TCA Award for Individual Achievement in Comedy. She won Female Breakout Star of the Year at Unforgettable Gala – Asian American Awards in 2015.
Fresh Off the Boat was the first network television sitcom in the United States to present Asian-American family as the main characters. It ran for 6 seasons, despite Wu’s objections to the last season being filmed. She stated that she had projects on hold that she would rather do, but couldn’t because of her contract for Fresh Off the Boat.
source:nbcnews.com
Her next major role was as Rachel Chu in Crazy Rich Asians, with Henry Golding, Gemma Chan, Lisa Lu, Awkwafina, and Ken Jeong. It was based on a novel by the same name written by Kevin Kwan. a Chinese-American professor travels to Singapore to meet her boyfriend’s family and is shocked to discover they are among the richest people in the country.
With over $238 million worldwide at the box offices, the movie is the highest-grossing romantic comedy of the last decade. It was nominated for numerous awards, including nominations for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical for Wu at the 76th Golden Globe Awards. It won the award for Best Comedy at 24th Critics’ Choice Awards.
Constance Wu Net Worth 2024
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All these roles had made her a rich woman. As of 2019, Constance Wu net worth is estimated at over $6 million.
